jfk assassination

The Berlin Wall

QW…answer the following questions

1. Kennedy’s legislative agenda was called… A. Great SocietyB. New FrontierC. Fair DealD. Square Deal

2. Television was a major factor in the election of 1960 because during the campaign…A. television became popular across the countryB. the candidates faced each other in the nation’s first

televised debatesC. The candidates refused to debate on televisionD. only Kennedy appeared on television

November 22, 1963

JFK was in Dallas trying to get support for next year’s election.

Dallas had an unfriendly reputation towards politicians.

Lee Harvey Oswald

Shown here in Oak Cliff, Texas.

Tried to defect to the Soviet Union and Cuba.

School Book Depository LHO got a job in this building. He would

eventually shoot JFK from the sixth floor.

6th floor

Sixth Floor of the School Book Depository

Sniper’s perch

This is Lee Harvey Oswald’s view from the 6th floor of the School Book Depository

Zapruder’s film was the most famous evidence

He was filming from here.

3rd shot

1st shot

Sniper perch

This plaque sits next to where he was fatally shot.

The limo now sped up to 80 miles an hour in a race to Parkland Hospital, which is 4 miles away.

Kennedy was rushed to Parkland

Kennedy at Parkland Mrs. Kennedy, bent over her dead husband, refused to

allow him to be removed. She protected his lifeless body from view with her own. Sensing this, Agent Hill removed his suit jacket and placed it over the President's head. She had said to Hill, "you know he's dead, leave me alone."

Agents were suggesting to Johnson that he begin thinking about leaving Dallas and being sworn in as President. At this point, a conspiracy to kill them all was a real possibility. Johnson was less aware of Kennedy's condition than the agents, who understood fully how the story would end.

Kennedy at Parkland At 12:49 p.m. two priests, Father

Oscar Huber and Father James Thompson arrived and Huber gave JOhn F. Kennedy the sacraments with his wife and doctors praying beside him.

Mrs. Kennedy returned to the hallway and a nurse asked her if she wanted to wash up. She responded, "no, I want them to see what they have done." She would repeat this to several people during this day.

Jackie's Pink Suit Once she arrived back at the White House,

Mrs. Kennedy insisted that she remain in the suit as she began making arrangements for a State Funeral fashioned after Lincoln and FDR.

There were matters of protocol to sort through, plans of all kinds she had to make. She had impromptu meetings to attend and important phone calls to make.

She didn’t take off the suit until 5:00 the next morning. She handed it to her private attendant who folded it–still blood soaked–then put it in a brown cardboard box.

A real fight over Kennedy In Dallas, when Mrs. Kennedy and the Kennedy party was

ready to leave Parkland for DC, a fight ensued in the hallway of the hospital.  A REAL fight. 

The Medical Examiner of Dallas insisted a crime had taken place and the autopsy had to take place in Dallas. 

The Kennedys (Larry O'Brien, Ken O'Donnell, Dave Powers, Admiral Burkley, etc) were grief stricken, enraged and were not staying in dreaded Dallas one more minute. 

A physical altercation ensued with each party at either end of the casket and pushing it back and forth, with the shadow of Jackie Kennedy, her hand on the casket, standing in the middle. 

Cursing, yelling, hands on guns, it was outrageous.  Finally, the Kennedys pushed harder and rolled the casket down the hall, out the door, into a hearse and out to Love Field, to a waiting Air Force One.

Oswald fled the scene

He checked into his boarding house on 1026 Beckley.

Officer J. Tippit stops on the street to talk to Oswald.

Oswald shoots him 4 times to death

Lee Harvey Oswald walked 8 blocks to Texas Theatre on Jefferson Blvd.

Arrested

The Cops beat him up after Oswald resists arrest at the theatre.

Arrested

He isn't given an attorney, is paraded up and down the halls of the police dept., questioned by reporters, to which he replies he didn't shoot anyone.

LBJ was sworn in at Love Field

LBJ People vs. JFK People

The secret service was more concerned over Jackie and leaving Dallas than over LBJ

To them “Their” president was in the back of the plane lying dead, not in the front of the plane

It was no secret that LBJ and Bobby Kennedy did not get along and LBJ’s handling of this event, did not help matters.

LHO was being escorted to another jail.

Oswald transferred to another jail.

Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner, shoots Oswald on live TV.

LHO will never go on record why he did what he did. He is now dead.

LHO killed

“You killed the President, you rat!”

Case Closed? Oswald fired 3 shots (missed the first one) The assassination was filmed (Zapruder) The government investigated the murder for

years and concluded that Oswald acted alone. Virtually no witness at that time gave

indication that more than 3 shots were fired at Kennedy.

However. . . .

Warren Commission

The assassination left questions unanswered and people demanded answers

Chief Justice Warren created a commission to look into the death of the president

This became known as the “Warren Commission”

Composite Conspiracy Story JFK was killed by a conspiracy of high

government officials with LBJ working with the CIA, the mafia and anti-Castro Americans who all want revenge for Kennedy’s lack of support in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. At the same time (in contradiction), Castro killed JFK with Russia’s help. Jack Ruby killed LHO so he wouldn’t talk. Ruby died with a deep, dark secret!

Let’s keep in mind

Many people thought Elvis was alive for decades after his death.

Many people think Tupac Shakur is alive. Many people think that NASA never

landed on the moon. Many think Bush let 9-11 happen on

purpose.

To make matters worse. . .

Oliver Stone made a movie called JFK in 1992.

The movie is full of errors, lies and bad science.

Stone’s JFK helped advance these falsehoods about the assassination:

Oswald could not have shot JFK from the sixth floor in less than 6 seconds.

Kennedy was shot from the front by gunmen on the grassy knoll.

Jack Ruby killed Oswald on orders from the mafia to keep Oswald quiet about everything.

Could Oswald have made those shots?

Yes! Oswald was a sharpshooter trained by the US Marines.

He scored a 212 out of 250 on a 200 yard shooting range.

JFK’s car was only 50 yards away from the sniper’s nest and moved 10mph

Digital Working of the event

Jack Ruby

Conspiracists believe Jack Ruby was a mobster who killed Oswald to silence him.

Ruby died in jail a couple of years later, supposedly with some deep dark secret.

However. . .

Jack Ruby knew gangsters but was not one. (He knew lots of cops too!)

He was a night club owner.

Those that knew him said he couldn’t keep a secret for 2 minutes!

Ruby

Ruby’s assassination was not planned.

Ruby left his dog and his girlfriend in the car when he left to shoot Oswald.

No conspiracy here from Jack Ruby!

Was Kennedy shot from the front?

2nd assassin?

Zapruder

Back and to the left?

Many assume based on JFK’s bodily motion and blood spray that he was shot from the front.

No witnesses reported gunshots that day!

2nd assassin?

Zapruder

wall

All witnesses that day described shots from where Oswald was

Witness described people but no shots behind fence

Oswald

Picket fence

View from behind fence (x marks the spot)

3rd shot

Picket fence shooter theory

There were plenty of witnesses in that area. None reported hearing shots. A few attention seekers claimed they did years later.

The witness behind the fence died in a single car crash 2 years later, festering conspirators' ideas.

Many witnesses have been accused of being a part of the conspiracy, including Zapruder (born in Russia).

Autopsy Kennedy was hit in the back of the neck, not

the front. He was hit in the back of the head, not the

front. A shooter could not have hit JFK from the

fence without hitting Jackie or her area.

Magic Bullet? Oliver Stone argued that a single bullet

could not have hit JFK and Governor Connally the way reported.

Magic Bullet? Using the bullet wounds, Stone used this

diagram to convince people that one bullet could not hit JFK and the governor the way reported.

Notice both

heads are

level with

each other.

JFK sat elevated above Connally

wrong

Single Bullet Theory

Once their seats are properly aligned, the single bullet theory appears to be valid!

Umbrella Man? Some say there was a mysterious man

fanning an umbrella right as Kennedy was shot. Oliver Stone said he was signaling to shoot JFK.

here

Umbrella Man

Not much mystery here. The man was questioned and identified.

He was trying to heckle JFK with his umbrella in a way that he himself did not quite understand.

One guy told me he was a Soviet agent.

here

Badge Man?

Was there a mysterious man wearing a badge near the fence?

Again, no shots were fired from this area.

JFK’s entry wounds were in the back of his neck and head.

Motives?

Everybody seemed to have a reason to kill JFK if one thinks about it hard enough.

Lyndon B. Johnson

Supposedly, JFK wanted to withdraw from Vietnam.

LBJ had him killed so he could continue the war (supposedly).

LBJ

Kennedy gave no clear evidence of exiting Vietnam.

LBJ showed no desire for escalating this “*#$%! of a war”

The Mob?

The mob supposedly wanted to murder Kennedy.

Sam Giancana connections

Supposedly upset about JFK’s lack of support for killing Fidel Castro.

Mob continued

The mob was upset about Robert Kennedy’s pursuit of organized crime.

RFK was the Attorney General (top cop)

The mafia did not kill JFK

The FBI had the Chicago mafia’s phone tapped and their offices tapped for years before 1963. No evidence was heard.

The mafia had no real interest in JFK. Maybe his brother Robert, but not the President.

Did Mob control Oswald and Ruby?

Oswald was a lone actor, just as he acted alone in an attempted murder of a General Walker.

Ruby knew mobsters, but he was not trusted by them.

Did Castro Kill JFK?

Motive: The CIA tried several times to kill Fidel Castro. Operation Mongoose considered poisoned cigars, poisoned diving suits, mafia rub out.

Did Castro kill JFK?

Castro did not have the means to do so.

Castro wanted the US to leave Cuba alone. An assassination would have led to an invasion. (Castro said this.)

Oswald was refused entry into Cuba.

Did the Russians kill JFK?

Motive: The USA was a serious rival in the Cold War. Killing JFK would provide instability in the military and government.

Russians killed JFK? Why would the

Russians risk nuclear war? Having LBJ as President would not have benefited

the Soviets.

Kennedy planned it himself

Knowing that he was suffering from Addison’s disease

He decided to keep legacy and spur the nation on with his death

Kennedy Funeral

Conclusion Kennedy served as president for a little more than

1,000 days Yet his powerful personality has made a profound

impact on Americans Regardless, it would be Lynden Johnson to carry or

not carry out the dreams of “Camelot” Polls have ranked Kennedy as one of the most

beloved Presidents, just behind Abraham Lincoln Others have listed him as one of the most over rated

figures in American history

Letter

Lyndon Baines Johnson

Great Society

QW…

1. Who is the man pictured in the center?

2. What point is the artist trying to make with thehat?

3. What is happening in the cartoon?

Source: www.cairsweb.llgc.org

Background Information

LBJ and wife, Lady Bird JohnsonSource: www. corrr1.com

Lyndon Baines Johnson was born and raised in central Texas. He served in the U.S. Congress for 26 years, and inthat time he developed a reputation to get things done.Some would even describe himas overpowering & intimidating. In the election of 1960, he ranas the Democratic vice presidential candidate with John F. Kennedy.

LBJ’s tactics

Kennedy’s Assassination

Following the assassination of Kennedy, LBJ is sworn in as president of the US aboard Air Force One on November 22, 1963.

Source: www.minnesota.publicradio.org

The Great Society… LBJ admired Franklin D. Roosevelt and

wanted to continue his hero’s mission The Great Society was the term LBJ used

to describe his vision of the more perfect and equitable society the US could and should become

''This country is rich enough to do anything it has the guts to do

and the vision to do and the will to do.'‘

Civil Rights Civil Rights Act of 1964= most

important civil rights legislation

• Mandated integration of all public facilities & schools

• Banned discrimination in federal assisted programs & in employment

• Established the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)

LBJ signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Source: www.clinton2.nara.gov

In 1967, LBJ nominated Thurgood Marshall to be the first African American Supreme Court justice

Voting Rights Act of 1965: eliminated literacy tests as voting requirements

Civil Rights Act of 1968: banned discrimination in housing

LBJ & MLK in the White House (March 1966)

Source: www.electronicintifada.net

War on Poverty Economic Opportunity Act 1964- established

the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO)

• Purpose: to coordinate programs intended to reduce the number of poor, uneducated, & jobless

• Established the following programs:

•Head Start: educational programs for poor school children

•VISTA: domestic peace corps designed to improve the living conditions of the poor

•Job Corps: job training for 16-24 year-olds

Above: Lady Byrd Johnson Supports the Head Start program in Washington

Source: www.lbjlib.utexas.edu

Below: Lady Bird has lunch with school children in rural Kentucky

Health and Welfare Programs

Legal Services program (OEO) provided legal aid & worked to reform laws that were harmful to the disadvantaged

Medicaid and Medicare gave health benefits to the elderly (Medicare) and the poor (Medicaid)

Health and Welfare Cont.

Child Nutrition Act of 1966 provided federal funding for breakfast and lunch for low income children. Reduced price of milk to public schools.

Food Stamp Act of 1964. Provides assistance to purchase nutritious foods for low income Americans.

Other Programs Department of Housing and

Urban Development (1965): improvements were made in transportation, health care, housing, and policing in order to clean up urban areas

Immigration Act of 1965: eliminated the National Origins Act (1924) which based quotas on national origin- the new system looked at skills & family ties for admission

LBJ, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, signed the Immigration Act into law

Source: wwww.jurist.lawpitt.edu

Clean Air Act of 1963: designed to help protect the environment- set emission standards for factories

Consumer protection: Cigarette Labeling Act of 1965, standards for meat & poultry products

Source: www.lbjlib.utexas.edu

Legacy & Criticism of the Great Society

Legacy:

• Poverty rate dropped (22% 1960 to 12% 1970)

• Rate of high school graduates rose 20%

• 1970: 10 US Representatives & 1 Senator were African American

Criticism:

• Some people feel welfare programs make people dependant on the government

• America’s deficit grew (went further into debt) because we could not afford the Great Society & the Vietnam War

Process1. The goal of the Bay of Pigs Invasion was to…

A. Capture Soviet missilesB. Remove Fidel Castro from power.C. Prevent a revolutionary war in Cuba.D. Support Castro’s army.

2. Why did the Soviets build the Berlin Wall?A. To protect against an American invasion.B. To stop Americans from entering the Soviet Union. C. To protect the people of CubaD. To stop Germans from escaping from East Germany.

3. The Warren Commission decided that the Kennedy assassination was…A. The act of a single man.B. Part of a large conspiracy.C. Due to mafia security.D. A Soviet agent.